"Jump! Soru! Soru again! Jump again!"
"Tekkai! Ow… go easy!!!"
"I punch! I poke! I Shingan!"
Following the examples set by Tokikake, Onigumo, and Hammer himself, the trainees had finally found their rhythm in this massive forging hall-turned-training ground.
Zephyr was very satisfied. Hammer was indifferent.
Just like that, a month passed.
The number of people who began to grasp and master the Six Powers also gradually increased.
Onigumo, Doberman, Dalmatia, Strawberry, Momonga...
Plus, Gion, Tokikake, and a few others had fully mastered at least one of the Six Powers and began rotating through different workshops, wait, no, different training stations.
"Hammer, Sengoku's looking for you."
"Again? It's never good news. I'm not going!"
"Hurry up! It's not just you this time. Those three bastards are back too. Must be something important."
"Then I really shouldn't go. If they brought those guys back, it must be a big deal. Probably back to the front lines…"
"Are you going or not?"
"Fine, you asked for it. Zero Point Burst! Wind-Crushing burst!"
Zephyr used Soru to appear behind Hammer, who was in the middle of forging, clasped his fists together like he was setting a volleyball, and unleashed a violent wind punch.
"STOP! IT'LL EXPLODE!"
Hammer cried out in alarm, trying to warn him.
But there was no way he could match Zephyr's speed.
The sudden gust of violent wind disrupted the furnace's balance.
The entire furnace exploded.
Hammer bore the brunt of the blast. He quickly activated Tekkai and covered himself with Armament Haki just in time.
Flames burned through his shirt, and the soot gave him an unintentional makeover.
Zephyr, on the other hand, reacted quickly, punching toward the explosion and using the wind from his attack to counteract the blast wave.
Unfortunately, that also made things worse for Hammer.
What would've been a single-direction explosion now hit him from both front and back.
His back, both clothes and skin, got utterly wrecked.
"You old bastard! Look what you've done!"
"It's Hammer time! Omnidirectional smash!"
Now resembling a coal-mining punk rocker complete with black teeth, ventilated attire, and smoke coming out of his mouth, Hammer went nuclear.
He activated his Hammer-Hammer Fruit without hesitation.
Hammer stretched his arms wide.
A thunderous hammering sound erupted from his chest and traveled down his arms.
Zephyr, who was retreating, froze in place and tensed up.
He immediately activated Tekkai and coated his whole body in Haki just to be safe.
The next moment, an invisible force wrapped around Zephyr.
Hammer strikes came flying from every direction.
The sound of heavy blunt-force impact echoed nonstop.
"Ho? When did you develop this?"
"Not bad, pretty powerful!"
Zephyr grinned, staying in a defensive stance and letting Hammer vent.
"I invented it to improve forging efficiency!"
"Old man! You blew up my furnace!"
"Do you know how long that furnace was with me?! You're paying for it!"
"Omnidirectional hammer! Take this!"
Hammer bared his black teeth as even more black smoke puffed from his mouth.
He now looked like a walking black pollution cloud.
Everyone who was forging, er, training was completely dumbfounded.
Mainly because Hammer's attack was terrifying.
He was going all-out with his powers, and Zephyr was just... taking the hits?
Clicking their tongues in awe, truly, Hammer's fruit ability was one of a kind.
"Fine! I'll pay for it, alright?! Just stop already!"
"I'll personally fund you a brand-new, top-tier furnace!"
Seeing that Hammer wasn't stopping, Zephyr could only surrender and promise compensation.
Sure enough, the moment the word "pay" came out.
Hammer stopped immediately, brushed off his tattered clothes, and beamed with joy.
"You should've said so earlier. This ability's still new, I'm exhausted."
Zephyr: '…You little brat…'
"Now get your butt to Sengoku. Once your furnace arrives, I'll pay it."
'Hehe. Free upgrade time.'
'Gotta pick the best one.'
'Now, how much was that ultra-rare alloy furnace again???'
With joy, Hammer used Soru, lifting half a meter off the ground and zooming toward HQ.
Zephyr's face twitched uncontrollably.
"Is everyone here yet?"
"Not yet, Hammer's not here."
"What's Zephyr doing? Didn't I tell him to send Hammer over?"
"Someone's coming… but it's a… black guy?!"
The next second, his office door slammed open.
"Who are you?! Why didn't you knock before entering the Fleet Admiral's office?!"
Looking at the blackened handprints on the pristine door, Sengoku's forehead veins started popping.
"Didn't you call me over?"
Inside the office, Kong was sitting off to the side, sipping tea. Tsuru was beside Sengoku, reviewing files.
The Borsalino and the sakazuki were there, one standing stiff, the other slouched.
As for Dragon, his mouth was wide open, snoring with a snot bubble.
'This scene… tsk tsk tsk.'
'As expected, there's no such thing as a normal high-ranking officer in the Marines.'
If only they could hear Hammer's thoughts, they'd probably say:
'Says the guy dressed like a burnt scarecrow.'
"Wait... Hammer?! What happened to you?!"
"Blame Teacher Zephyr. Blew up my furnace, then fanning the flames, quite literally."
"Hmph, I'll make him empty out his pension to buy me a good furnace."
Sengoku: '…Poor Zephyr...'
Kong: 'Zephyr's not even that old yet… Pension? Good idea though, I should try that…'
"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's begin."
With Sengoku's signal, two erasers flew toward the Borsalino and Dragon.
One hit the Borsalino in the waist, the other popped Dragon's snot bubble.
"Waaah! Scary~ Admiral Sengoku, my kidneys!"
"Zzz... huh? Lunchtime?"
"It's a meeting, you idiots!"
Hammer obediently stood next to the trio.
This lineup… it was hard to watch. Only Sakazuki seemed halfway normal, if you ignored the blood and sulfur stench.
"You've all graduated for over a year now."
"Some of you have been chasing pirates under a vice admiral, others guarding your own territories."
"This year, HQ has taken note of your achievements. That's why you've been called back for another medal ceremony."
"In three days, HQ will hold an award ceremony. All of you, prepare a proper speech."
"And if anyone dares mess it up, see Hammer over there?"
"That stylish outfit of his? I'll personally make you one just like it!"
Hammer: '…Old man, you're too 'kind'…'